Statement of Objects & Reason. - Bhoodan Land is allotted under Section 24 of the Bhoodan Yagna Act, 1954 according to which holder of Bhoodan Land shall not transfer any interest in the land and shall not sublet the land without previous sanction of the Board. Grantee to whom the Bhoodan Land was allotted, have been demanding since long for conferring khatedari rights. Section 24 of the Act shall be substituted with the object that the land allotted under this Act shall notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or any other law for the time being in force shall stand vested in the state Government with effect from the date of commencement of the said Act or from the date of allotment whichever is later and the grantee of such land shall become the khatedari tenant thereto with effect from the said date and shall be subject to all the liabilities imposed on khatedari tenant under the provisions of the Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955.
This Bill seeks to achieve the aforesaid objectives.
Rajasthan Gazette Extraordinary Part III-A dated 20.2.2008, pages 21 (2) = 2008RSCS/Part II/Pages 453/H. 274

(a) "Bhoodan Yagna" means the movement initiated by Shri Acharya Vinoba Bhave for acquisition of land through" voluntary gifts with a view to distribute it to landless persons or to use it for community purposes;

(b) "Bhoodan declaration" means the declaration made or deemed to be made under Section 11 of this Act;

(c) "Board" means the Bhoodan Yagna Board established under Section 3 of this Act;

(d) "Community purposes" means any purpose of public utility including sites for compost pits, for public latrines, for schools or school farms, for health centres, for recreation, for grazing and for other similar purposes;

(e) "Grantee" means the person to whom land is granted in pursuance of Bhoodan Yagna under this Act;

(f) "Land" means land which is occupied or let for agricultural purposes or for purposes subservient to agriculture or for pasture;

(g) "Owner" means a person having a proprietary or occupancy tenant right in land and includes a State grantee;

(h) "Landless person" means a person holding no land less than the area which may be prescribed in this behalf;

(i) "Revenue Officer" in any of the provisions of this Act means Tehsildars or any other Revenue Officers, as may be appointed by the State Government by notification in the [Official Gazette] for the purposes of this Act;

Explanation. - Words and expressions not defined in this Act shall have the meaning assigned to them in the law relating to land tenures for the time being in force.
[(2) xxx]3. Establishment and incorporation of the Bhoodan Yagna Board. - (1) There shall be established a Board by the name of the Rajasthan Bhoodan Yagna Board.
(2) The Board shall be a body corporate having perpetual succession and common seal with power to acquire, hold, administer, transfer and dispose of property, both movable and immovable, and shall, by the said name, sue and be sued.
4. Constitution of the Board. - (1) The Board shall consist of the following, namely:-

(a) has become physically or mentally incapable of acting as such member, or

(b) has so abused his position as to render his continuance in office detrimental to the public interest, or

(c) has failed to perform his duties.

5. Dissolution of the Board. - (1) [The State Government] may, at any time, dissolve the Board and reconstitute the Board in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
(2) The order dissolving the Board shall be notified in the Rajasthan Gazette and shall take effect on the date on which it is notified.
6. Casual vacancies and other matters about the Board. - The method of filling up casual vacancies in the Board, procedure of its working, and the conduct of its business shall be such as may be prescribed.
7. Duties of the Board. - (1) It shall be the duty of the Board to administer all land vested in it for the purpose of the Bhoodan Yagna.
(2) The Board shall, for the purposes of Bhoodan Yagna, perform such other functions and possess such other powers, as may be necessary in respect of such land.
8. Validity of Proceeding. - Any thing done or any proceeding taken under this Act shall not be questioned on account of any vacancy in the Board or any defect or irregularity in the nomination of the Chairman, the Secretary or any member of the Board.
9. Appointment of Officers and Servants. - The Board may, [subject to any general or special directions issued by the State Government] appoint such officers and servants, as it may consider necessary for the efficient performance of its functions:
[Provided that the Board may, subject as aforesaid, direct that one person shall be appointed to discharge the duties of any two or more officers],
10. Conditions of Service of officers and servants. - The remuneration and other conditions of service of the officers and servants of the Board shall be such, as may be determined by rules.
11. Donation of land to Bhoodan Yagna. - (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any law for the time being in force, any person, being the owner of land, may donate and grant such land to the Bhoodan Yagna Board by a declaration in writing in that behalf in the manner prescribed.
(2) Bhoodan declaration shall be filed with the Tehsildar.
12. Board's funds. - The Board shall have its own funds, and may accept grants, donations, gifts or loans from the Central or State Government or local authority or any individual or body, whether incorporated or not, for all or any of the purposes of the Board.
13. Application of funds. - All property, funds and all other assets vesting in the Board, shall be held and applied by it, subject to the provisions and for the purposes of this Act.
14. Tehsil Committees. - (1) The Board may, for any Tehsil where it considers necessary to do so, constitute Tehsil Committees, consisting of not less than three and not more than seven members to be appointed by the Board.
(2) The members of the Tehsil Committees shall be chosen by the Board [ordinarily] from amongst persons residing within the area of the Tehsil:
Provided that, if no Tehsil Committee has been formed for any Tehsil, the functions of a Tehsil Committee under the Act shall be performed by the Board.
15. Publication of and investigation upon the declaration. - (1) Upon receipt of the Bhoodan declaration, the Tehsildar shall make a preliminary enquiry as to the right, title or interest of the donor in such land, and refer the result of such enquiry to the Board for advice.
(2) If the right, title or interest of the donor appears to be defective, the Board may advise the Tehsildar to reject the declaration and the declaration shall be rejected accordingly.
(3) If the Board advises the Tehsildar to take action for the confirmation of the declaration, it shall at the same time indicate the date when the Board may be in a position to lease out the land in accordance with the Bhoodan Yagna Scheme.
(4) The Tehsildar shall publish the declaration for inviting objections to be made on any date as may be appointed within 4 months preceding the day indicated by the Board in the preceding sub-section.
16. Donor competent to donate land. - Notwithstanding any thing contained in the Rajasthan Land Reforms and Resumption of Jagirs Act, 1952 (No. VI of 1952), or any other law relating to land tenure, as may be applicable, an owner shall be competent for purposes of this Act to donate the land held by him as such to the Bhoodan Yagna Board.
17. Filing, hearing and disposal of objections. - (1) Any person whose interests are affected by the Bhoodan declaration made under Section 11 may, within [thirty] days of the publication, file objections on the same before the Tehsildar.
(2) The Tehsildar shall register every such objection and shall fix a date of hearing of which notice shall be given to the declarant and the objector without recovering any process fee or other fee. [x x x]
(3) On the date of hearing or any other date to which it may be postponed, the Tehsildar, shall proceed to investigate and dispose of the objection and shall subject to the provisions of Section 21-

(a) either confirm the Bhoodan declaration, or

(b) supersede the same.

(4) If the Tehsildar confirms the Bhoodan declaration then, notwithstanding anything contained in any law for the time being in force, all the rights, title and interest of the owner in such land shall stand transferred to and vest in the Bhoodan Board for purposes of Bhoodan Yagna.
(5) Where the Bhoodan declaration is superseded by the Tehsildar under sub-Section (3), the donation shall stand cancelled and the owner shall be deemed to continue to have all his rights, interest and title in such land, as if no such donation was made.
18. Order of a Revenue Officer, the Subject of a Civil suit. - The order of a Revenue Officer, rejecting an objection, passed under this Act, shall not be subject to appeal or revision:
Provided that any party aggrieved by the order or any other person interested in the land who had no notice of the proceedings may, within six months from the date of such order, institute a suit in the civil court having jurisdiction to have the order set aside and the decision of such court shall be binding on the Board; and subject to the result of such suit, if any, the order of the Revenue Officer shall be conclusive.
19. Gifts to be irrevocable. - Every gift of land in respect of which an order has been passed under Section 17 shall, after the date of the order, be irrevocable.
20. Lands vesting in Board not attachable. - The lands vesting in the Board shall not be liable to attachment or sale in execution of any decree or order passed by a civil court against the Board.
21. Lands which cannot be donated. - Notwithstanding anything contained in any law, an owner shall not, for purposes of this Act, be entitled to donate the land falling in any of the following classes namely :-

(a) land which forms part of a family property and cannot be alienated without the partition of the whole of the family property;

(b) lands which on the date of donation are recorded as common pasture lands, cremation or burial grounds, tanks, path-way or threshing floor or play grounds, and

(c) such other land as the State Government may from time to time by notification in the Rajasthan Gazette, specify.

(d) if the land has already been granted to any person in pursuance of the Bhoodan Yagna; the name of the person to whom the land has been granted;

(e) the date of the grant under sub-clause (d); and

(f) such other particulars as may be prescribed.

(2) (a) The list so prepared shall be forwarded to the Tehsildar in whose jurisdiction, the land is situate;

(b) The Tehsildar shall publish the list in the prescribed manner.

(3) On receipt of such list, the Tehsildar shall cause action to be taken in accordance with Section 15 in respect of the lands described in the list.
(4) The provisions of Section 15 to 18 shall apply in respect of all donations of the said lands as they apply in respect of all donations of lands made after the commencement of this Act:
Provided that where an order is made by a Tehsildar under sub-Section (4) of Section 17, the gift shall be deemed to have been accepted with effect from the date on which the donation of land was made and for this purpose this act shall be deemed to have been in force on such date.
(5) Upon the publication of list under sub-Section (2) and notwithstanding anything in any law to the contrary-

(a) the right, title and interest of the donor in such land shall with effect from the date of donation, be deemed to stand transferred to and vest in Bhoodan Yagna Board as if a Bhoodan Yagna declaration had been duly made and confirmed in respect thereof under and in accordance with Section 11 and sub-Section (3) of Section 17,

(b) where such land has in pursuance of Bhoodan Yagna been granted to any person it shall, with effect from the date of grant be deemed further to have been granted to the grantee under and in accordance with the provisions of Section 23.

(a) the matter relating to the establishment, and constitution of the Board and nomination of Chairman or the Members thereto, as the case may be;

(b) the form of Bhoodan declaration and the manner in which it shall be filed;

(c) the documents to be filed with the Bhoodan declaration;

(d) the manner of publication of Bhoodan declaration;

(e) the nature, scope and manner of the enquiry under Section 15;

(f) the manner of filing the objections and their registration;

(g) the fixation of date for hearing and deciding the objections;

(h) the manner and mode of service of notices under this Act;

(i) the procedure to be followed in hearing and disposal of objections under Section 17;

(j) the procedure relating to confirmation or supersession of Bhoodan declaration, objections under Section 17;

(k) the matters relating to the grant of land in pursuance of Section 23;

(l) regulating the procedure of the Board and the disposal of its business;

(m) the remuneration and conditions of service of its employees;

(n) regulating the procedure, disposal of business, the term of office the filling of casual vacancies in the office of members of Tehsil committees, dismemberment, change in the personnel and reconstitution of Tehsil Committees;